Barton Associates’ Manager of Controls and Commissioning, Ed Ritter, PE, LEED AP, CxA, is set to deliver a key presentation at the CxEnergy 2016 in April. This is a premier conference and exposition for Building Commissioning and Energy Management. The presentation will focus on the review of energy audit and retrocommissioning findings covers issues such … Read more
Energy/utility savings are becoming more prevalent in building managers’ roles in reducing their facility’s operational costs. Water consumption savings are attractive with the latest in low-flow plumbing fixtures, and the consumption savings trickle into reduced water heating capacity too. Although it may seem like a simple task in specifying low-flow fixtures or even replacing plumbing … Read more
Why Do I Need To Be Concerned With Arc Flash Hazards? An arc flash is a sudden, massive release of energy from a piece of electrical equipment caused by a fault in the system. The fault can be caused by anything from failing insulation to moisture in equipment to a worker accidentally dropping a screwdriver … Read more
Wesley Stiles, PE, Director of Electrical Engineering for the York office, is featured in the December Issue of Consulting-Specifying Magazine for the article below. NFPA 37: Standard for the Installation and Use of Stationary Combustion Engines and Gas Turbines, 2015 edition, is an important yet often overlooked player in NFPA’s extensive lineup of codes and … Read more
When designing plumbing systems for science laboratories certain requirements such as space planning, code compliance and user’s needs must be considered. Acid waste, natural gas, reverse osmosis/deionized water, compressed air and vacuum are the most common plumbing systems utilized in science laboratories. The most important part of science laboratory system design is coordination between the … Read more
The coming of winter requires building owners and managers to review their buildings and systems for protection against freezing. However, there is one building system that may already be freeze protected and should be reviewed due to recent developments — sprinkler antifreeze systems. Based upon reports of a fire incident involving a sprinkler system that … Read more
Many existing chilled water plants are designed using primary-secondary pumping where one set of pumps circulates water at the chilled water plant and then another set of pumps circulates water to the building or buildings. This is common in larger buildings or campuses where the many spaces or buildings are served by one system, and allows … Read more
Barton Associates recently retro-commissioned an air handler for a hospital client. The retro-commissioning process typically starts with a review of the Building Automation System (BAS). A graphic screen shot from the subject air handler is shown above. There is a lot of information on this screen, but focus on the basic information circled in red … Read more
We recently hired Brandon Gianella as a Mechanical Designer and John Mastropietro as a Senior Electrical Designer to bring added strength in growing our Pittsburgh office. Brandon has over seven years of experience and has worked on various types of buildings including military, government facilities, high-rise residential and various commercial and retail buildings. He is … Read more
Traditional air conditioning typically conditions an entire room or space, such as in an office space or classroom. Air is supplied from the ceiling and distributed throughout the space. This is a cost effective method but is not well suited for some applications due to the limitations in efficiency in cooling the entire space including … Read more
We recently promoted Ken McLain to CAD/BIM Manager of our State College office to further strengthen and grow the business. Ken McLain has been with Barton Associates for 5 years and in this time he has helped develop the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology within the State College office. He is highly proficient … Read more
We are pleased to welcome Michael Ginder, PE, LEED AP as a Senior Electrical Engineer to work in our York office. Michael has over 11 years of expertise in electrical systems design and analysis for healthcare, education, corporate, athletic, entertainment and other design projects. He is a graduate of Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science degree … Read more
Across the country, people are starting to recognize the vulnerability of our electrical infrastructure — whether it be from capacity issues, natural disasters, or other events. Because of this, government regulations are increasingly pressuring utility companies to decrease demand on their systems. By pushing individual consumers to curtail demand and increase efficiency, utility companies are … Read more
Barton Associates is pleased to announce that three employees have earned their Professional Engineer (PE) License. Amy Diehl, PE Amy L. Diehl, PE earned her Professional Engineer (PE) license from the Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists. Amy recently joined Barton and holds a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering from … Read more
For many years the conventional operating room ceiling consisted of a gypsum board or plaster ceiling with openings framed out for lights and diffusers. Openings would be field cut in the gypsum board for overhead surgical light supports, diffusers, general lighting and medical gas columns. With the advent of hybrid operating rooms, the construction of … Read more
Are we truly taking advantage of our oldest and most important natural resource – the sun? The sun plays a major role in the design of most facilities. It can impact the orientation of the building as well as the design of the building envelope and windows. For lighting designers, it also impacts the control … Read more
Employee volunteers from the York office joined with the United Way of York County and participated in Day of Action. This year seven staff members volunteered at New Hope Ministries located at 135 Baltimore Street in Hanover PA to help with outside maintenance of their new building. New Hope Ministries was our agency of choice for … Read more
We are pleased to welcome Kiley Johns as an Electrical Designer to work in our York office. Kiley is a recent graduate of Penn State University in Architectural Engineering with a focus in lighting and electrical system design. During her time at Penn State, Kiley worked as a materials science researcher. She led a project team … Read more
Controllability is an important aspect of design for lighting in healthcare facilities. The healthcare industry is seeing an escalation in demand for lighting designs that create calming environments and offer flexible lighting options to increase patient comfort. To meet the demands of the industry, lighting designs often include complex controls and specialty lighting fixtures to address … Read more
Employees from the State College office joined Special Olympics Pennsylvania and volunteered during this year Summer Games by assisting in the basketball competition. It takes about 2,000 volunteers to make the Summer Games happen. Duties range from making 3,800 dormitory beds for athletes and coaches to carrying tables and chairs to score-keeping and time-keeping areas. … Read more